Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
Child Protection Sub Cluster, Pakistan, July 2012
1. INTRODUCTION AND LESSONS LEARNED
In 2010 and 2011 Pakistan was struck with two massive natural disasters. In August 2010 Pakistan
devastating ‘mega’ floods affected more than 18 million people, including 9 million children. Heavy
monsoonal rains once more struck the southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan in September
2011, affecting more than 5 million people, of whom half were again children. Meanwhile in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (‘KP’) and FATA, the on-going complex emergency since 2009 has left almost 1 million
people displaced as of June 2012.
In the one year following the 2010 floods, a total of 553,000 children (47% of these were girls), or
12% of all flood-affected children, had accessed approximately 1500 Child Friendly Spaces (“CFS”);
and 11,000 women (0.4% of affected women) had accessed 163 Women Friendly Spaces (which in
most cases operated in separate locations). In the 6 months following the 2011 floods, a total of 647
“protective spaces” were operating. Of these, 64% were mobile and more than 80% incorporated a
separate space for women and adolescent girls. In total 244,243 children (48% girls), or 10% of all
affected children, and 79,598 women (6% of all affected women) accessed the protective spaces.
These protective spaces have supported children’s rights to protection from violence; psychosocial
wellbeing; learning; participation; recreation and play. The massive scale of the disasters, combined
with the nature of the displacement into small, scattered IDP settlements rather than large-scale
camps, has created significant challenges to reaching the most vulnerable children and families.
Social and cultural restrictions on the movement and public participation of adolescent girls and
women in Pakistan, particularly rural areas, were an additional challenge.
Despite the challenges, the Child Protection sub cluster has mobilised large scale coverage and
targeted particularly vulnerable and marginalised children and women through the introduction of a
number of innovative approaches. In particular, five key innovations have developed out of the
collective ‘lessons learned’ and are now recognised as good practices by the Child Protection Sub
Cluster:
1. “Mobile spaces” – In addition to the more traditional fixed spaces, the use of vans and
buses, often painted with communication messages, carrying facilitators (including from
health and nutrition services) and recreation and learning items was commonly used to
make regular, periodic visits to certain locations. This significantly increased the coverage of
child protection services and enabled access to the harder to reach, more marginalised areas
(eg away from recognised camps or displacement ‘hubs’ close to roads, etc)
2. Integration with women friendly spaces – While women friendly spaces (‘WFSs) had been
used by some CP sub cluster members and other organisations (notably GBV sub cluster
members) in 2010 (and before), these spaces were generally set up physically separate to
children’s spaces and with separate objectives and activities. Monitoring of children
accessing CFS established in 2010 revealed that the main age group was 5 to 12 years.
Adolescents (particularly girls) and younger children were often absent from the spaces.
Moreover, there was little integration of GBV services and referrals with CFS, despite the
fact that many GBV survivors were girls. A significant shift occurred during the 2011 flood
response where the majority of protective spaces established included targeted services for
women and adolescent girls, including for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and
mothers/carers with infants. UNICEF, with partners, introduced a new emergency model of
“PLaCES” for children and women whereby each and every space included a co-located,
private space for adolescent girls and women. Other organisations such as Save the Children
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Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
CP Sub Cluster 2012
were also including services and breast feeding spaces for women in their CFS, and World
Vision was using a model of ‘Women and Infant Friendly Spaces’ (WIFS) managed within
their health program, but with protective benefits for women and infants. In early 2012,
organisations operating in Jalozai Camp, KP, worked systematically to link up children’s
spaces with women’s spaces run by other organisations for co-location and
complementarity. There was a clear recognition that services for women enhanced access of
certain groups of children to the same space, and that some services and
information/awareness objectives such as GBV were relevant to both children and women.
The huge increase in women accessing protective spaces and services in 2011 demonstrated
the popularity of the spaces, with the CP sub cluster target (originally 40,000 women)
exceeded by 100%.
3. Integration with other humanitarian services – Integration of other services such as
education, health, nutrition and WASH have increasingly been seen as essential to the
effectiveness of protective spaces for children and women. This integration enables the
fulfilment of multiple rights in the one location, responding to the holistic needs of the
individual, reducing the need for travel by children and carers to different locations (with
potential security related implications and/or socio-cultural barriers), and enabling access to
services and information in a safe and protected environment.
4. Inclusive spaces for children with disability – Children with disabilities are one of the most
marginalised groups in Pakistan, and the active facilitation of their participation is an
essential component of protective spaces. The experience of Handicap International in
running inclusive child friendly spaces in Pakistan, and the technical support of the Ageing
and Disability Taskforce to the Child Protection Sub Cluster, has strengthened the
understanding and operationalization of this principle.
5. Adolescents’ participation – Engaging adolescent girls and boys not only as groups with
special needs for information and services, but also empowering them as active members of
Child Protection Committees, Adolescent Groups, as facilitators as well as agents of changes
within their communities.
The purpose of these minimum standards is to encourage consistency and ensure quality in relation
to the establishment and running of all protective spaces for children and women throughout
Pakistan, which in Pakistan may take the name of Child Friendly Spaces, Women Friendly Spaces,
protective spaces, “PLaCES” and names in local languages. The standards are a revised and expanded
version of the Minimum Standards for CFS developed by the Child Protection Sub Cluster in
September 2010. The Sub Cluster has since 2011 tracked and reported on ‘protective spaces for
children and women’ and therefore this same inclusive term is used here. The standards are
however not intended as a comprehensive guideline for stand-alone protective spaces for women,
for which the Gender Based Violence Sub Cluster Pakistan is developing on its own guidelines.
These standards should be read in conjunction with Guidelines for Child Friendly Spaces in
Emergencies for Field Testing, and A Practical Guide to developing Child Friendly Spaces (UNICEF) for
broader principles and practical guidance. A number of global working group and agency specific
manuals and guidelines on child friendly spaces have been developed and are available to the Child
Protection sub cluster, including through the Child Protection sub cluster link on pakresponse:
http://pakresponse.info/MonsoonUpdates2011/Clusters/Protection/ChildProtection.aspx
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Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
2.
CP Sub Cluster 2012
LOCATION AND TARGET GROUP
Protective Spaces can be set up in camps (formal/informal), open spaces (embankments, roads etc.),
school buildings, host communities or communities affected by the disaster. A protective space can
be set up together with, or attached to, other services such as health centres, therapeutic feeding
centres, temporary learning centres, women’s community centres, etc. ‘Co-locating’ services may
provide better coverage of the target group, streamlined services, more access to vulnerable groups,
and more effective pooling of limited funds. Mobile Spaces can be established in the relief phase for
the children who have been living in temporary shelters such as school or hospital buildings, in
camps (formal/informal), and in open spaces such as embankments and on the roads where static
spaces cannot be established.
A safe environment for children and adolescents can be called anything that makes sense to children
and the local community and which encourages participation and inclusion. In some parts of
Pakistan, the use of the word ‘child’ in ‘Child Friendly Space’ reportedly discouraged adolescent boys
and girls from attending. Talk to children and families about a name that makes sense, particularly in
the local language, before opening the centre. Some of the names used in Pakistan have included
qula (“Beauty” in Pashto), Child Protection Centres, “House of Light” in Pashto; PLaCES (Protective
Learning and Community Emergency Services); Meena’s Place.
Protective Spaces should encourage participation of all children, with particular attention to
targeting the most disadvantaged children including children with disabilities, out-of-school children,
and working children; and ensuring the equal participation of boys and girls. Special attention should
be given to children with different ethnic, geographic or religious backgrounds and of all age groups.
Parents, carers, family and community members (including men) are actively encouraged to plan and
participate in protective services linked to the protective spaces and Child Protection Committees
both as rights holders and duty bearers.
Minimum Standards:
 Consultation and agreement with community regarding the location and design of the
protective spaces through a participative mapping exercise with a group of boys and girls of
different ages, as well as community leaders, women, men and care-givers.
 Safety and security of area (eg. removal of hazards, access to safe water, non-military
environment, safe access road, etc)
 Access to outdoor area for recreational activities
 Area for private discussions between children and psychologists or facilitators
 Privacy for women (eg using purdah walls where appropriate, not locating the space close to
men’s meeting areas)
 Locate spaces in or near places where there are significant numbers of vulnerable children
 Do NOT establish protective spaces in an areas where there are nearby protective spaces
 Accessible for children with wheelchairs or crutches (eg through portable wooden ramp)
 Water and sanitation facilities either in the enclosure or close by, with facilities for children
with disabilities1 (eg. Rope or handgrip in latrine, brightly coloured for vision impaired)
 Spaces should not be overcrowded. A suggested ratio of children to a single tent or room
would be 40 – 60 at one time
 Separate sessions or activities for children in three age ranges: very young children (0-7
years), school aged children (8-12 years), and adolescents (13-18 years)
1
See also Ageing and Disability Taskforce Technical Guidelines for Health, Water and Sanitation, Hygiene and
Shelter Programmes in Emergency (July 2012)
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CP Sub Cluster 2012
For mobile spaces, a team of facilitators should be available to visit at regular intervals to the
same location and provide predictable services, as per pre-informed schedule agreed by
communities
3. SERVICES
Protective services should be implemented with sensitivity to child development, and the distinct
needs of girls and boys and of different age groups. They should be designed in consultation with
children, women, caregivers and community members (including men). Protective Spaces should
consider the context, the socio-cultural norms, and the impact of displacement when designing
services for girls, boys and women. In most parts of Pakistan, girls’ attendance in school is well below
boys and this may be girls’ first chance to access learning. In most rural areas mobility of girls and
women is restricted as well as their participation in public life. Overall, experience in Pakistan with
protective spaces for women has shown that women generally place vocational sessions and
practical skills as a first priority and that this also facilitates family and community acceptance for
participation of girls and women in protective spaces and services, as well as to support and
empower women and girls to become agents of change in their communities.
Minimum standards for:
3.1 Psychosocial Support
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Protective spaces should support families and caregivers (eg via positive parenting, helping
family members deal with their own distress) and community networks (eg women and
youth groups) to promote psychosocial well being
CP facilitators must have proven skills in communicating with children and must be able to
identify signs in individual children that require more specialized attention and/or referral
(eg abuse, severe distress).
In most cases children will not require one-on-one counseling. Where such cases are
identified, a local counsellor or social worker should be available (in many areas of Pakistan
there are no qualified psychologists)
A clear referral mechanism must be in place for every protective space showing local service
providers and contacts, and all staff should be familiar with the referral mechanism.
PSS should also be available for care givers and for CP staff (who may also be affected by the
emergency)
Male and female staff are available in the protective spaces
Availability of a private space for children or women to meet comfortably and confidentially
with CP staff or counsellor
Information related to meetings with counsellors or referrals is strictly confidential and
should not be displayed publicly (including numbers of cases, types of issues, etc)
Include ways to reach out to and encourage adolescent girls with babies and young children
to benefit from the protective spaces: eg separate timings, inclusion in women’s centres,
discussion groups, baby friendly spaces
Strengthening existing youth clubs and supporting adolescents to play an active role in
protective spaces and their communities (eg as members of CP committees)
3.2 Basic Literacy and Numeracy
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Teaching and educational display materials should be in appropriate (ie commonly
understood) and accessible (ie large print and pictorial representations) language/s that are
most appropriate for the children and women of that area
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Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
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This activity should not replace regular schooling and children should be encouraged to
attend regular schools once the schools are open
A protective space or CFS is not a school and staff should be clear with communities from
the beginning about the differences. The name of the space may also be important to
project its correct meaning to communities (communities should also be consulted on
names)
Children with complete visual loss will require some amount of dedicated support from a CP
facilitator to ensure their participation in literacy and numeracy activities
Seek advice and support from the Age and Disability Task Force on how to include children
with disabilities
3.3. Life Skills Based Education:
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Include sessions appropriate for children and adolescents on communication skills,
leadership and empowerment, self-protection 2
Provide basic awareness on key information related to health (including reproductive
health), nutrition, hygiene promotion, waste management, disaster preparedness and
disaster risk reduction (ie prevention and mitigation of disaster related impacts on children),
Basic mine risk education on avoiding landmines, UXOs and IED should be given (even in
flood-affected areas far from military operations, mine incidents affecting children occurred
in 2011 when flood waters dislodged and carried UXOs). For more detailed MRE, a
specialised agency may be needed.
3.4 Recreational Activities:
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Play and recreational activities for children of different age groups should be arranged in
separate spaces, or at different times
Particular attention should be given to encouraging participation of girls and consulting with
them on types of recreation they enjoy, including local traditional games. Cultural
sensitivities and community acceptance should be taken into account, while gender
stereotypes should be avoided (eg girls have shown themselves to be very willing to play
cricket, if the appropriate space is provided).
Include activities accessible to children with disabilities
Engage children, adolescents and women in the spaces in making their own toys, puppets
and games out of commonly available materials. This will also provide examples for
communities to recreate when they move back to their own homes.
3.5 Services for Girls and Women: 3
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Services should be attractive for girls and women and should justify their attendance
Active engagement of male decision makers of the families and community gatekeepers (eg
religious leaders) is essential to encourage support for women and girls’ participation
Consistent interaction with women and social mobilisation and door-to-door campaigns
helps gain trust and encourages women to participate
Include a private space for services such as breast feeding, advice from nutrition / health
workers, psycho social support, peer discussions
2
See also Life Skills Based Education Manual (in Urdu only), Child Protection Sub Cluster, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
2009
3
See also Keeping Adrift: Documenting Best Practices for Addressing Gender based Violence from the Platform
of Women Friendly Spaces, Shirkat Gah (2011) on www.pakresponse.org (Child Protection and GBV links)
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Include community celebrations
Activities should include a focus on the practical and social needs as well as the inherent
rights of women and girls through rights based awareness sessions and skills, and practical
activities such as literacy, learning and catch-up classes, vocational and livelihood activities
(handicraft, kitchen gardening, tailoring), as well as nutrition, health and hygiene awareness
and services.
Cases of GBV should be recorded on standard Incident Reporting Forms and copy sent to the
GBV sub-cluster (or recognised coordinating mechanism) in the province
Cases of GBV should be referred to appropriate services and facilitators must be aware of
referral mechanisms. Case management for GBV survivors should only be conducted in the
protective space where trained, dedicated staff are available (generally this would be
supported by UNFPA and partners and GBV sub cluster members)4
3.6 Identification, registration, tracing, reunification of unaccompanied & separated children:
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In the preparedness phase and/or first phase of response, orientation (or refresher) on the
relevant mechanism (provincial or even district level) should be made to all sub-cluster
members by local authorities and/or Sub Cluster Coordinator, with reference to the
Framework for Action and Action Charts5
Sub-Cluster or appropriate coordinating mechanism should develop simple flow-charts with
locally identified responsible actors for each stage in the process
Staff have received basic training in identification of unaccompanied and separated children
and they know who to contact for assistance in documentation and reunification (eg Social
Welfare Department, UNICEF, ICRC, etc)
While the practice of community-based care is still not well defined or practiced in Pakistan,
Staff should be aware of and advocate for this option with communities
3.7 Identification and registration of vulnerable children and referral:
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Staff have received basic training in identification of vulnerable children such as children
from very poor households, children with disabilities, children victims of sexual or physical
abuse, working children etc. should be identified and registered by staff/facilitators.
Staff know how to refer cases and follow up with the Child Protection Unit (CPU) in the
District Social Welfare Department (or relevant local authorities) for registration and close
monitoring.
Cases requiring individual, specialised assistance (eg health, mental health, legal) should be
referred to a trained professional for case management
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEES (CPC)
Community engagement in protective spaces is essential from the very beginning, in order to
ensure ownership and sustainability. Community participation must be encouraged in design,
location selection, social mobilisation and outreach services.
 A minimum requirement for community participation in protective spaces is through the
establishment of Child Protection Committees (CPCs).
4
See also SoPs on Gender Based Violence (GBV Sub Cluster Pakistan, 2011) including the section on Child
Survivors, www.pakresponse.org (GBV link)
5
Framework for Action for Separated, Unaccompanied and Missing Children in Emergencies (NDMA – awaiting
final endorsement) 2011; including Annexes: Action Charts for Provinces (Child Protection Sub Clusters,
Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkwa, FATA) 2011. www.pakresponse.org (Child protection link)
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CPCs in Pakistan are generally separate male and female committees with 8-10 community
members.
Parents, grandmothers, religious leaders, community notables and people of influence,
teachers, youth groups, adolescent and others may be involved in the CPC. People with
disabilities and from minority groups should be actively encouraged to participate in CPCs.
CPCs should clearly understand their responsibilities and receive training in related areas
(including child rights, community based advocacy, social mobilisation, development of
community based action plan). Some organisations have developed Terms of Reference for
CPC.
STAFFING
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CP Sub Cluster 2012
Protective Spaces need to be equipped with at least two (2) trained CFS facilitators (1 male
and 1 female) of local origin who know the language and culture. Additional facilitators may
be needed where services for women are also provided, and some organisations also include
1 community mobilizer. 6
The standard ratio is one facilitator per 40 children for group learning and recreational
activities, and one facilitator per 20 children for group psycho-social activities.
All facilitators and workers should be trained in skills on how to how to listen with empathy
and understanding, treating children and young people with non-judgmental, nondiscriminatory respect
Facilitators should be able to identify and referral of those with special needs – mental
health issues, substance abuse, disability, gender based (& other forms) of violence and the
consequent support to their family members.
Where psychologists are available, they should have psychosocial orientation/training in
psychosocial knowledge and skills specifically related to children to avoid medicalization of
psychological issues and consequently act in a ‘coaching’ role to further develop facilitators’
skills and knowledge.7
There is a need to provide on-going training, follow-up, and capacity building for staff at all
levels of protective spaces.
All staff must have received orientation in and signed the Code of Conduct
Staff must prepare a weekly and daily activity plan to be displayed (in local language) in all
spaces
All children attending the spaces must be registered and a daily attendance register must be
maintained by staff
FIRST AID AND EMERGENCIES
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Every space must display referral contact details for local child protection, health and other
services with emergency numbers (the functioning of the numbers to be regularly checked
by staff)
At least one staff must be trained in basic first aid
An evacuation plan must exist in every protective space and children must be familiar with
the evacuation plan
Staff should be aware of what to do in case of floods, earthquakes and other disasters
Emergency sand, fire extinguisher or blankets must be available
6
Note that spaces are often accessed by different children at different times or days – therefore this standard
is intended for any one time and is expected to guide a particular activity rather than total target groups.
7
See also IASC Mental Health & Psychosocial Guidelines in Emergency Settings
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Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
7
MONITORING AND REPORTING
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CP Sub Cluster 2012
Implementing and supporting organizations should monitor the protective spaces regularly.
Some organisations have developed monitoring forms or checklists
Implementing organizations should report regularly to the sub cluster or the Department of
Social Welfare (SWD) in each district, including on referrals made
Identified cases of vulnerable children should be shared with the SWD, Child Protection Unit
(CPU) or relevant service provider immediately
Staff must be aware of referral mechanisms for local service providers and contact points
EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS AND SUPPLY
A protective space may be a tent, room, open structure, hut or even bus – depending on the
availability of space, the climate and the emergency context. The Sub Cluster does not have a
standard ‘kit’ for supplies and materials to be used in protective spaces, however certain minimum
standards should be followed, including respect for local cultural requirements.
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All protective spaces must have a protective wall
Purdah walls are required for spaces for women and adolescent girls
Plastic mats for sitting
Use of locally available materials where possible (for structures and for play and learning
items) generates economic activity in disaster affected areas
Respect for environmental sustainability (eg in use of timber or scarce resources)
Consideration must be made for a second emergency exit
WASH facilities (a water point and two separate latrines - one for boys and another one for
girls) should be provided in all protective spaces
Play and learning materials must be age appropriate and special attention should be given to
ensuring the inclusion of recreational items that girls and communities accept (recognising
that cultural norms may prohibit girls’ participation in certain games).
Include special items for children with disabilities (eg balls that make noise – available in
local markets)
Include age appropriate non-formal education items such as story books or comic books
(including pictorial and large print) in local language, puppets, slates, educational toys, DRR
games (eg UNESCO), psycho-social games (eg Rozan).
Consider games that can be made from local or recycled materials (eg musical toys from
cans, clay toys, local games with stones)
Encourage children, adolescents and women to make books, puppets, toys etc that can be
used to support the activities
Display special charts and posters for the hygiene sessions, mine risk education, child and
women’s rights, safety and security of children, disaster risk reduction
Source appropriate, accepted materials on gender based violence (through GBV Sub Cluster
members including Rozan and UNFPA) and sexual abuse (eg Sahel)
Register books for registering children
Display banners and sign boards, in local language, which specify the direction and name of
the protective space
9. EXIT STRATEGY
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Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
CP Sub Cluster 2012
Protective spaces established in emergency response are temporary, transitional supports. From the
outset, organisations should develop plans for exit and/or transition into community-based child
protection centres (or other community structures) in partnership with community, including girls,
boys, women and men. Some community based Child Protection Centres have, in turn, transformed
into registered Community based organistions (CBOs) in Pakistan for long term sustainability.
By associating the Child Protection Centres with schools the exit strategy can focus on securing
government resources and staff for an increased enrollment, ensuring a school community that
welcomes mainstreamed children, and a child friendly environment. World Vision’s experience in
this area shows that mainstreaming and literacy can be done in a few months with children above
school entry age, while accelerated primary learning can take 2 to 3 years before a child can enter a
regular middle school class. In this regard a transition strategy should take these time-frames into
account and use curriculums accepted by the mainstreaming schools - ideally these programs will be
taken on by NGOs or government departments with longer term intentions in the area, to cater for
all school aged children.
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Protective spaces may be closed once schools re-open or can be transitioned into Child
Protection Centers including the function of early child development centers, spaces for
youth clubs, literacy initiatives, or vocational training activities.
Special attention should be made to preparing and mainstreaming out of school children
aged below eleven into primary school and those aged eleven plus into accelerated primary
learning perhaps in middle schools (this can be done with education cluster and partners).
Younger children can be transitioned into either voluntarily run play groups or ECD centres
attached to schools.
For out of school children consideration can be taken for turning protective spaces into
satellite schools with government employed teachers, where distance prohibits regular
attendance at the schools.
Youth volunteers and adults from within the community should be encouraged and
mentored to volunteer to take on facilitation / management of community based structures.
All of these transitions require advocacy with the community, education and social welfare
departments. In rural areas the problem of absent teachers may need to be addressed
before main-streaming more children into non-functioning schools.
In all areas learning without fear needs to be emphasized for schools accepting children
returning to school or entering for the first time.
10. SUGGESTED READING MATERIALS
IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in
(http://oneresponse.info/GlobalClusters/Protection/CP/Pages/default.aspx)
Emergency Settings
Inter-agency
Guiding
Principles
on
Unaccompanied
and
Separated
(http://oneresponse.info/GlobalClusters/Protection/CP/Pages/default.aspx)
Children
Guidelines
on Gender
Based Violence Interventions
in Humanitarian
(http://oneresponse.info/GlobalClusters/Protection/CP/Pages/default.aspx)
Settings
INEE
Minimum
Standards
(http://www.ineesite.org/)
for
Education:
Preparedness,
Response,
Recovery
Guidelines for Child Friendly Spaces in Emergencies for Field Testing (January 2011)
http://pakresponse.info/MonsoonUpdates2011/Clusters/Protection/ChildProtection.aspx
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Minimum Standards for Protective Spaces for Children and Women
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Ageing and Disability Taskforce Technical Guidelines for Health, Water and Sanitation, Hygiene and
Shelter Programmes in Emergency (July 2012)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3686403/technical%20guidelines-ADTF%20%28July%202012%29.pdf
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